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What You Are Looking for Is in the Library
by Michiko Aoyama
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I chose this book as part of the 2024 reading challenge for July, a book by an author born outside the Unites States, and it was also in the "New Fiction" area which I always peruse. This was an excellent read by the author who lives in Japan and who had this work translated. The chapters of the book were tales of life stories with life lessons and interconnections told in a very interesting, unique, and moving way. Every tale had a central figure, Mrs. Komachi. She was the local community center librarian with a penchant for felting and selecting just the right book for her patrons. Mrs. Komachi's felting materials were kept in a Honeydome cookie tin which was central to the book. I could continue to write more about how I liked this book, but suffice to say, it really made me think and reflect, and I will be looking for more books by this author if translated!
The Penderwicks In Spring
by Jeanne Birdsall
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I got to meet the author of the Penderwick series and I got to ask questions like do you speak Latin because there was Latin in the Penderwicks? She said it was fun the add different languages into it but she doesn’t speak Latin. It was so cool to meet my favorite author in the world everyone should read her books and she has a new book The Library of Unruly Treasures
Six Four
by Hideo Yokoyama
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Inaccurately marketed as a crime thriller, this slow burn of a political novel is unlike anything I’ve read. The protagonist is a detective, but positioned in a PR management liaison role between the police and journalists. I cared enough about him as a character to stick with the drier parts of the office politics to get to the cold case that resumes in a unique and gratifying way. Overall the novel hangs together narratively, has interesting characters, broaches topics I hadn’t seen addressed in fiction before, or so well, and gives the reader enough of a plot payoff to read through the complex, intellectual matter that takes up much of its 576 pages. But if you pick it up looking for a page-turning mystery, you’ll be disappointed.
The Rise And Fall Of D. O. D. O.
by Neal Stephenson
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Highly imaginative romp through a multiverse that some characters seek to capitalize on financially, others militarily, and some for the restoration of magic eclipsed by technology. The story is told through various characters, riffing on different vernaculars in comic ways, including a surfeit of acronyms and inflated business speak, which deserve the comic treatment. The plot gets a bit long and byzantine, but the imagination propelling the story and the funny dialogue are charming. Terrific entertainment overall.
Fancy Nancy Sees Stars
by Jane O'Connor
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This was not my favorite book because I’m not really interested in planets.
Death Upon A Star
by Amy Patricia Meade
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The author harkens back to the time where actors and actresses were king and queen and movies were all the rage right before the horrors of World War II. This book, which I hope is the first in a cozy series, takes place during the filming of Hitchcock's famous movie Rebecca. The plot revolves around a young Hollywood script supervisor, Evelyn Galloway, who finds herself embroiled in a mystery surrounding the murder of an actor from the studio she is working at. With the help of her room mate and others actors, she finds herself in an adventure that evokes the time and place of the early 1940's. I had seen Rebecca a few times previously and now after reading this "behind the scenes" (albeit fictional portrayal of Hitchcock and the main actors), I want to see it again. The mystery has a great ending and Evelyn then accept a job working on another Hitchcock movie, The Foreign Correspondent, so I hope that means there will be a followup. Likeable characters and very interesting plot. I found myself googling various people and events in the story to gain more insight. A fun read overall!
Obsession In Death
by J. D. Robb
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Good book. Great author. Great characters. Good read. Quick read. Entertaining. Keeps you on your toes.
Junie B. Jones #20: Toothless Wonder
by Barbara Park
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Junie B Jones is the silliest girl ever!
Red Queen
by Victoria Aveyard
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This book was absolutely amazing. It didn’t even feel like I was reading anything, it felt like I was living it. When I got to the acknowledgements I almost had an anxiety attack because I suddenly got snapped back into reality. I was super sad when it ended. Definitely recommend
Phantasma
by Kaylie Smith
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I loved this book! Part of it was easily predictable, but a twist at the end caught me totally off guard.